Tips on How to Plant Landscape Trees

Trees mean a great deal to Texans, not only for their beauty, but also for their contribution to lowering energy cost in the summer and breaking the cold wind that comes straight from Canada onto the plains in winter. Trees add value to your home and serve as a focal point in the landscape. Trees are a large investment, so it makes sense to select the right varieties and transplant them correctly.

Selecting Trees for North Texas

Dr. William Welch, landscape horticulturist with Texas A&M University, recommends the following trees for North Texas:

• Pecan
• Deodar Cedar
• Ponderosa Pine
• Chinese Pistachio
• Bur Oak
• Bald Cypress
• Redbud
• Japanese persimmon
• Panicled Golden Raintree
• American Plantree Sycamore

Additional varieties of oak and pine such as Shumard Oak, Live Oak, Texas Oak and Austrian pine are adapted to most of the North Texas growing region.

How to Plant Trees

Choose a site for your tree that accommodates its mature size and form, root distribution, and maintenance requirements. Check for water, gas or sewer lines near the selected site and make sure to avoid them when digging a hole for transplanting. Do not plant the tree near power lines. The utility companies routinely prune trees away from power lines, often destroying the shape of the tree. And, remember to carry the tree by its container, not by the trunk, when transporting.

1. Purchase trees from a local nursery that is more likely to carry varieties adapted to North Texas.
2. If possible, shield the tree from the wind with a tarp when transporting it home.
3. Dig a hole large enough for the tree’s roots to spread naturally. The hole should be about twice as wide as the root ball and three inches deeper for bare rooted transplants or the same the depth as the soil in the tree’s container. Remove the tree gently from its container and place in the hole.
4. Fill the hole half way with soil removed during digging. Add water and allow the dirt to settle. Fill the remainder of the hole to a depth equal to the soil level in the container or the soil line on bare rooted trees. Firmly press soil down to remove air pockets and water the hole again to settle the remainder of the soil.
5. Create a low berm or collar of soil or mulch around the planting hole about four inches high and 12 inches away from the tree trunk to hold water.
6. Add root stimulator.
7. Prune the tree to remove unnecessary branches.
8. Stake taller trees with two to four guide wires. Cover the part of the wire that encounters the tree trunk using fabric or sections of an old garden hose.
9. Most North Texas trees live for decades and as they mature, they provide increasing benefit in terms of shade and beauty. Trees planted in a line provide a windbreak for large areas of open land and trees grouped with other landscape features offer a visual respite for road-weary travelers.

Resource link: Texas Forest Service: tree planting guide.